Game



Nov. 20, 192.3, 1,474,504

- J. B. ALL EN I GAME Filed March 14. 1922 INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 20 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. ALLEN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

GAME.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention relates to games of the type having counters which areadapted to e moved upon a series of spaces, marked upon a game-board, bythe players in their turn, similar to the ordinary and well known gameof .checkers; and has for its primary object the provision of a game ofthis character which may be played by four people simultaneously, ifdesired, instead of the customary two players.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game board which maybe used without change either for the ordinary. game of two handedcheckers or for a game of my new four handed checkers or for a gamewhich difl'ers from both the other two in that it has a numerical score.

A still further object is to provide a gameboard marked ofi in a seriesof spaces, each space having a raised border for the purpose ofpreventing the counters from being accidentally dislodged from theirproper spaces.

With these and other objects in view the invention will now be describedin detail, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing which forms apart hereof. Corresponding and like parts are referred to in thefollowing specification and in all views of the accompanying .drawing bythe same reference characters. 7 In the drawing: v Figure 1 is a planview of the improved game-board.

Fi 2 is a plan view showing one of each set 0 counters used with thegame board.

Fi 3 is a cross sectional view, taken on the hue 33, Fig. 1.

Let the numeral 17 designate the gameboard'in its entirety upon which isprinted or impressed a series of spaces. In the board shown there areonehundred and forty four square spaces-twelve squares high and twelvesquares wide.

Each alternate square is designated by a color, the arran ement of whichwill be later described, Whi -3 the intervening squares, designated onthe drawing by the numeral 30, are either left colorlessas indicated inl application filed March 14, 1922. Serial No. 543,732.

the drawing or given some uniform ground color such as gray.

The color arrangement is as follows. A series of twelve squares, threetiers deep, at one side of the board is indicated in a certain color, asshown ruled for yellow at 18 in the-drawing. On the opposite edge of theboard a band of similar color 19 isformed. A similar series of twelvesquares is marked in a contrasting color at each of the remaining sidesof the board as is shown at 20, 22 and 24, ruled for green, blue and redrespectively. On the opposite side of is a band of color similar to thatof the series as shown at 21, 23 and 25 respectively. The remainingalternatin color squares are indicated by a still di erent contrastingcolor, as shown at 26, which is ruled onthe drawing for purple.

This makes a total of five difl'erent colors not including a color whichmay be assigned to the intervening spaces 30. The above described colorarrangement is used for playing four handed as will be later described.

The thirty-two most centrally located of the intervening spaces 30, eachcontain a number. two series, each numbered from one to sixteeninclusive and the two series are printed in contrasting colors asis'shown at 27 and 28 on the drawing. Each series is faced towards thenearest player.

Forty-eight ame counters are used on the board when p ayin four handed,and are divided into four difierent'colored sets of twelve each,corresponding in color to the four series of twelve squares at each sideof the board. In Fig. 2 one counter of each set is .;showncounter 18'corresponding in color to series 18, counter 20 to series 20, counter 22to series 22 and counter 24' to series 24.

Having thus described the game a paratus the various methods of playingnow These numbers are divided into the board from each of these seriesof twelve board. He may jum and remove any of the counters of his t reeadversaries that may properly come in his path. After reachin theopposite side of the board, along tEe band of his color, his countersbecome kings and can move in any direction. All moves must be made onthe alternate colored spaces and never on the intervening spaces 30. Thelast player to have counters on the board wins the game.

Ordinary or two-handed checkers may be played by just using two sets ofcounters and playing only on those squares of the board containingnumbers. For instance, the checkers would be set up in starting on thesquares numbered from 5 to 16 inclusive and the playing continued asusual, using the numbers to indicate the proper squares to play on only.

A third game, which difl'ers from the two above described in that it hasa numerical score, may be played on the numbered squares. It istwo-handed game and is played similar to the two handed checker gameexcept that the players add as their score the numbers of the squares intheir adversarys territory which are passed over or occupied by theircounters in their advance to the king row. It may be played so that theowner of a counter which is ,jumped and removed from the board losesfrom his score an amount 'equal to the number of the square upon whichthe j umped: counter was standing.

, The latter game is very amusing and in-' structive for children as itteaches additlon and subtraction and the use of figures.

The drawing shows a distinctive form of board which may be used inconnection with the game. This form is more particularly nann esindicated in Fig." 3. The squares of the board are impressed below thegeneral sur-- what is claimed'and desired to be secured by LettersPatent is 1. A ame-apparatus com rising a square board dlvided into 144equa squares and 48 playing counters, divided by color into four sets of12 each; said board having four series of 12 alternating squares each,COlllCldf ingin color with the four sets of counters, one of said seriesbeing placed adjacent to each of the four sides of said board, thebalance of the alternating. squares being indicated in a fifthcontrasting color.

2. A game-ap aratus comprising a four sided game-boar divided intoaflurality of spaces and playing counters divi ed b color into fouropposing sets, said board aving a series of alternating s aces at eachof the sides thereof correspon ing in number and color to the four setsof counters, and a band of color surrounding the entire board, the

color of the band at each side of said board coinciding in color withthat of the series ofalternating spaces at the opposite side of saidboard.

In testimony whereof I afix my si I JAWS B. EN.

